Level 2 or 3 RICS survey?

Ramouth

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

The other problem you may come across with the extension is the foundations.  Because of the made ground you may need a more complex foundation design for any extension you plan to build to avoid differential movement between it and the main house.  This isn’t a deal breaker and a structural engineer will be able to design something suitable but it may have a cost implication.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

You will probably also find that the roof is constructed from trussed rafters so the space is not open.  I think I recall dozergirl sharing a solution for these but it again, it will add cost to the project.

You also need to think about fire escape if you are going up to three stories.  You will need a protected escape route from the top floor down to a ground floor exit, or hallway with choice of 2 separated routes out of the house.  In practice this usually means replacing bedroom and living room doors with fire doors which isn’t too difficult but some more open plan layouts make things very difficult.


Sorry this is so long.  I won’t have covered all the considerations but wanted to make you aware of a few that came to mind at first glance to make you aware of the sorts of things you need to think about / enquire about before you go too far.

peter3hg

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

Ramouth

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.

That’s really interesting.  Can’t remember the last time we had a large housing scheme in our office that wasn’t timber frame.  But then we are in west-ish Cornwall where there has traditionally been a bit of a shortage of brick / blocklayers and where brick is not the vernacular.

Good point about planning.  

Noneforit999

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

peter3hg

Noneforit999 said:

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

Timber framed is normally taken to mean the external load bearing walls.
In a timber framed mass produced house the internal leaf of the external cavity wall is made up of timber panels, usually with a masonry outer leaf to the cavity for looks.
In a more traditionally constructed house the inner leaf will be masonry (probably breeze blocks) with the same masonry outer leaf as a timber framed house.

The internal non-load bearing walls will almost always be wooden stud walls in both types.

Troy_af

peter3hg said:

Noneforit999 said:

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

Timber framed is normally taken to mean the external load bearing walls.
In a timber framed mass produced house the internal leaf of the external cavity wall is made up of timber panels, usually with a masonry outer leaf to the cavity for looks.
In a more traditionally constructed house the inner leaf will be masonry (probably breeze blocks) with the same masonry outer leaf as a timber framed house.

The internal non-load bearing walls will almost always be wooden stud walls in both types.

I don't know whether or not the property is timber framed, will the home buyer survey provide this information? There are houses partially built on the development and the only timber I can see is for the roofs. When it comes to the walls, I can only see brick and then half way up it changes to breeze blocks (when finished they render over the breeze block upper half). Of course I don't really know what I'm looking for so whether or not there is a timber frame behind the brick I don't know, but I couldn't see this.

Troy_af

peter3hg said:

Noneforit999 said:

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

Timber framed is normally taken to mean the external load bearing walls.
In a timber framed mass produced house the internal leaf of the external cavity wall is made up of timber panels, usually with a masonry outer leaf to the cavity for looks.
In a more traditionally constructed house the inner leaf will be masonry (probably breeze blocks) with the same masonry outer leaf as a timber framed house.

The internal non-load bearing walls will almost always be wooden stud walls in both types.

I am still none the wiser about whether or not the property is indeed timber framed, even after having a survey done. Does anyone have any input based on the construction description in the survey? It states:

Construction

"The property is built using traditional materials and techniques."

"The roofs are built of timber and are covered with tiles. The ground floor is solid and the first floor is built of timber. The outside walls are of the cavity type. They are partly faced in brick, partly in artstone and partly of render-coated blockwork."

Main walls.

"The outside walls are of the cavity type. The lower sections of all elevations are face in brick, whilst the upper sections are likely to be of block work which have a modern render coating. Around all elevations, above the brickwork and below the render, there is a horizontal course of artstone. Where visible, the walls incorporate a barrier against dampness rising from the ground (called a damp-proof course or DPC. This consists of a layer of damp-proof material which has been incorporated into the walls during construction."

Walls and partitions

"The internal walls are built of timber framework which have been finished in plaster board and skimmed either side. The inner faces of external walls are all dry-lined with a similar finish."

The thing that is confusing to me here is that the inner walls seem to be timber frame, but does this mean the actual frame of the house, or just what is holding the plaster board? It also mentions "traditional" materials and techniques, which as I understand does not mean timber framed?

Noneforit999

Troy_af said:

peter3hg said:

Noneforit999 said:

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

Timber framed is normally taken to mean the external load bearing walls.
In a timber framed mass produced house the internal leaf of the external cavity wall is made up of timber panels, usually with a masonry outer leaf to the cavity for looks.
In a more traditionally constructed house the inner leaf will be masonry (probably breeze blocks) with the same masonry outer leaf as a timber framed house.

The internal non-load bearing walls will almost always be wooden stud walls in both types.

I am still none the wiser about whether or not the property is indeed timber framed, even after having a survey done. Does anyone have any input based on the construction description in the survey? It states:

Construction

"The property is built using traditional materials and techniques."

"The roofs are built of timber and are covered with tiles. The ground floor is solid and the first floor is built of timber. The outside walls are of the cavity type. They are partly faced in brick, partly in artstone and partly of render-coated blockwork."

Main walls.

"The outside walls are of the cavity type. The lower sections of all elevations are face in brick, whilst the upper sections are likely to be of block work which have a modern render coating. Around all elevations, above the brickwork and below the render, there is a horizontal course of artstone. Where visible, the walls incorporate a barrier against dampness rising from the ground (called a damp-proof course or DPC. This consists of a layer of damp-proof material which has been incorporated into the walls during construction."

Walls and partitions

"The internal walls are built of timber framework which have been finished in plaster board and skimmed either side. The inner faces of external walls are all dry-lined with a similar finish."

The thing that is confusing to me here is that the inner walls seem to be timber frame, but does this mean the actual frame of the house, or just what is holding the plaster board? It also mentions "traditional" materials and techniques, which as I understand does not mean timber framed?

Standard new build construction, ours is exactly the same.

The internal frame is timber but the external frame (i.e. what is holding the house up) is brick as you would expect. 

Troy_af

Noneforit999 said:

Troy_af said:

peter3hg said:

Noneforit999 said:

peter3hg said:

Ramouth said:

1) Made ground - the house will have been designed with this in mind and would not have received building control approval without a suitable design being developed - so you don’t need to worry about this.

2) Extension - some new build properties have covenants requiring permission from the building company for extensions.  This is often to maintain the uniformity of their development when they are still building and selling properties themselves.  May be worth checking for this in the deeds.

3) Loft conversion - most modern houses are timber frame.  The house will not have been designed to have the load of an additional story on the top so you will need a structural engineer to check for suitable support for the new floor load.

I think it is around 25% of new houses are timber framed, not most. It does vary by developer and part of the country.
Scotland for example has a much higher percentage of timber-frame construction in new houses.


Something else to look out for is whether the local council excluded the permitted development rights when they granted permission for the development. This is fairly common on large developments like this one.
Obviously that doesn't mean you can't build an extension or develop the loft, just that you will need full planning permission for any extension or for putting in new windows or skylights in many cases.

25% seems low, I would wager its far higher than this. I don't think I have been in a new build that was built in the last 15 years that wasn't timber framed internally, as in the walls between rooms are stud walls made of timber.

Good point about the permitted development rights. Ours is a development of 86 houses and this is exactly the case, PD removed so full PP needed. Our local plan from the council also states 3 bedroom dwellings must have 2 off road parking spaces and they all do on our development IF you include the garage....essentially no converting the garage to another room as the removal of PD rights combined with the local plan means the garage needs to stay as a garage.

There are systems to convert truss lofts, something along the lines of Ecotruss but when we looked into it, it was more expensive than standard steels but easier as there is no party wall act required and cutting into exterior walls etc. 

Timber framed is normally taken to mean the external load bearing walls.
In a timber framed mass produced house the internal leaf of the external cavity wall is made up of timber panels, usually with a masonry outer leaf to the cavity for looks.
In a more traditionally constructed house the inner leaf will be masonry (probably breeze blocks) with the same masonry outer leaf as a timber framed house.

The internal non-load bearing walls will almost always be wooden stud walls in both types.

I am still none the wiser about whether or not the property is indeed timber framed, even after having a survey done. Does anyone have any input based on the construction description in the survey? It states:

Construction

"The property is built using traditional materials and techniques."

"The roofs are built of timber and are covered with tiles. The ground floor is solid and the first floor is built of timber. The outside walls are of the cavity type. They are partly faced in brick, partly in artstone and partly of render-coated blockwork."

Main walls.

"The outside walls are of the cavity type. The lower sections of all elevations are face in brick, whilst the upper sections are likely to be of block work which have a modern render coating. Around all elevations, above the brickwork and below the render, there is a horizontal course of artstone. Where visible, the walls incorporate a barrier against dampness rising from the ground (called a damp-proof course or DPC. This consists of a layer of damp-proof material which has been incorporated into the walls during construction."

Walls and partitions

"The internal walls are built of timber framework which have been finished in plaster board and skimmed either side. The inner faces of external walls are all dry-lined with a similar finish."

The thing that is confusing to me here is that the inner walls seem to be timber frame, but does this mean the actual frame of the house, or just what is holding the plaster board? It also mentions "traditional" materials and techniques, which as I understand does not mean timber framed?

Standard new build construction, ours is exactly the same.

The internal frame is timber but the external frame (i.e. what is holding the house up) is brick as you would expect. 

 

Does this mean that it would be defined as a timber frame home (to insurer etc) or not since the main structure is not timber?

So there is not brick outer leaf and breeze block inner leaf? I though that is what cavity type means. My last home was also new build and the survey described it as 11 inch brick/block cavity construction.